Thursday, January 15, 2009

US Air pilot lands in Hudson River - Updated

This is the kind of pilot you want on your next flight. The media is calling it a crash but really the pilot landed that plane safely. A US Airways twin engine plane carrying 150 passengers apparently hit a flock of geese as they were gaining altitude and lost both engines over Manhattan. The pilot managed to land the plane in the only safe place possible -- the Hudson River. All passengers reported injuries but none appear to be major. Incredible. As one airline consultant put it, "Ditching an aircraft is a significant accomplishment on the part of the pilot, as opposed to crashing one. There’s no place for an airplane of that size to land in Manhattan.”

Really. If he had hit a building they would all have been dead. The pilot deserves a commendation. [photo WNBC]

Update: I'm glad to see the pilot, "Sully" Sullenberger, is being hailed as a hero. He already has a fan club on Facebook. He deserves it. I'd also note in passing that no one seems to mention that the Hudson River is a very busy port and it just adds to the awesomeness that he managed to land that plane safely without hitting any boats either.

Cable news talking heads were commenting on the fact that the plane floated, and that the passengers were able to walk onto the wing before being rescued, and that many of them were only wet from "the pants down".

After a flight like that, I'd probably be wet "from the pants down" too!

The pilot's name is Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III,and I would fly with him anytime!When we first saw the footage, I said, "I bet he's a former fighter pilot" and that is what he is having flown F-4 fighter jets in the 1970s.He also has served on boards and studied air accidents and the pyschology of keeping crews functioning in crisis situations.Talk about kismet!Nice to see a happy ending once in a while, isn't it?